Homestead Starting Tips

I know firsthand how overwhelming homesteading may seem in the beginning. I have been on this journey for quite some time now and I wanted to share some of my best tips for lowing your barrier to entry. I believe that you can homestead in the majority of situations. Yes, even in an apartment! Yes, even in a house in the city! 

Let's start with the definition of homesteading. I want to share this definition because when I learned what homesteading really means, the intimidation immediately left me, because I realized on a small level, I was already homesteading. Are you ready for this very simple definition?

*Homestead- a lifestyle of self-sufficiency.*

That's it! So, if you already bake a few things from scratch, or repair items instead of throwing them away, repurpose items, have a small garden, sew, or even buy from a farmer's market- you are already homesteading! Isn't that wild?

Now that you know the simplicity of the seemingly large word, let's get into some tips to success on this journey! 

• Always buy second hand when you can. If I am in need of something, I will check local thrift stores before buying new. The majority of Christmas and birthday presents in our house are thrifted. Even a lot of my homesteading supplies such as mason jars, canner, steam pot, food processor, utensils, and even the plates we use were thrifted. 
  • Thrifting has multiple benefits. Not only does it save you money and lower your barrier to entry, but it lowers consumerism, lowers landfill waste, helps other families instead of corporations, and lowers manufacturing needs by lowering the demand.
• Schedule your time wisely. Plan time to learn a new skill, just as you would book a doctor's appointment or important meeting. Making a plan and sticking to it is the best way to learn while lowering your stress levels. I usually spend Sunday's testing a new recipe, meal prepping for the week or learning something new. Pencil the time in and stick to it! 
• Prepare ahead of time. I like to make items in bulk for the week so that I can pull the already cooked food out and use it in various recipes. My go-to's are cooking up hamburger, rice and chicken each week. I then use these in recipes as needed all week and it lowers the amount of time I am spending in the kitchen each evening, thus increasing my success rate of ensuring that I am cooking from scratch. 
• It is a journey that takes time. Don't rush this. Learn a little bit at a time. The mindset that you have to stop buying all packaged food at once will do nothing but bring failure. Learn to replace one thing at a time, moving on to the next as you have mastered each item. Going into this process, knowing that it will take dedication, and time is the best way to succeed because it lowers the stress and mentality that you have to do it all at once. 
• You can do this from anywhere. As you see in the definition, homesteading is not about land, animals, or a farmhouse. Homesteading is the simple act of living self-sufficiently. It doesn't say you have to convert every aspect of your life to do this. Thus, if your living conditions only allow you to start baking from scratch- do it. If you have only a small balcony, you can still have a small garden in pots. If you normally buy everything new, try thrifting. The goal is to rely less on the outside world, less on consumerism. And if that is only in one aspect of your life, then that is all that matters. Do what you can with the space you have. I promise, it all still makes a difference. 
• Support local farmers. If you are not in a position to have your own cows, chickens or land- a simple solution is to support a local farmer! I suggest this for many reasons. The main one being that you are supporting a local citizen or family instead of a corporation (are you noticing a trend here ;)). Probably most importantly, the food is of better quality. Ask your farmer if they use pesticides, antibiotics or hormones. Chances are that their food is of better quality than that from larger factory farms. Not to mention, the sooner food is eaten once it is picked, milked or laid, the more of its natural nutrients you are getting. When food travels hundreds to thousands of miles on a truck before it gets to your plate, it loses almost all of its nutritional value. 

There you have it! Some of my basic tips for getting started with the homestead lifestyle! If there is anything I can stress it is that, once you start, you will start to feel gratitude for your food in a way you never thought possible. You will believe in yourself more than you ever have. And you will be so extremely proud that you are saving your family money and providing them the cleanest, healthiest food you can at a fraction of the cost. 

I believe in you. Go do the damn thing!